Gluttony
by Miss Snazzy
Summary: A new shop has opened up in Forks. Everyone's excited about Kate Konfections, but Bella knows there's something strange going on and she intends to find out what. AU. Won first place in the Cupcake Wars Contest.
1. Emmett's News

****

Author's Note: Um...guess I am entering. Lol.

CUPCAKE WARS CONTEST

**Title: Gluttony  
Pen name: Miss Snazzy  
Pairing: Bella/Edward  
Rating: T  
Word Count: 1,930**

**Disclaimer: Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyers. Fantastical cupcake baking skills?  
Yeah, those belong to me.**

…

Part I  
_Emmett's News_

…

I cringed at the sharp pinch of the needle in my side. This had become as much a part of my life as brushing my teeth and it was beyond annoying. I sighed, knowing it couldn't be helped.

I tried not to glare when I entered the kitchen to find Emmett shoveling pancakes in his mouth. I'm pretty sure the pancake to syrup ratio was heavily tipped toward the sugary crap's side.

"It wouldn't be a Monday without finding you stuffing food into your gullet," I commented, pulling a yogurt cup out of the fridge.

"Jealous?" he grinned.

"Not really. Pancakes are shit. Now if you were eating waffles…" I sighed dreamily, suddenly wishing the yogurt in my hand was waffle flavored.

Though, that probably wouldn't taste right. After all, the waffle's main asset is its crunchiness.

"Do not insult what you do not know," he proclaimed sagely, waving his fork at me. "It's been ages since you've had either. You simply cannot judge."

I rolled my eyes. "You are simply an idiot."

"Sticks and stones, Sista. Sticks and stones."

I sang along with the radio, alternating between tapping my spoon on the steering wheel and scooping more yogurt into my mouth. Some days I felt resentful that I was the one to get diabetes. It hardly seemed fair, especially with my Cookie Monster of a brother. Still, I knew it wasn't his fault.

I grabbed my bag and shut the door, trailing my fingers along the bed of my truck as I walked toward my first class. Truth be told, my behemoth of a vehicle was a piece of crap. But hey, it was my piece of crap. All of its little imperfections just gave it a bit more character. Not like those flashy cars—I mentally pointed at the silver Volvo and the yellow Porsche.

Would I be able to pick my truck out of a line-up of other red trucks? Absolutely. Would Edward and Alice be able to pick out theirs? Doubtful.

And that brings us to the Cullen twins.

You've got Alice—the perky president of student council, who must have hourly injections of adrenaline to keep that kind of energy going. I actually had this theory that she's really one of those energizer bunnies. Hell, the electric shock would explain the black hair sticking out in all directions. That almost punk rocker look combined with her upbeat attitude and old money had tilted the election in her favor by a landslide.

Then there's Edward—the track student who had broken dozens of records, but still managed to keep himself firmly rooted at the top of the class. What the hell is that, anyway? You're either athletic or you're smart. You can't be both. That just isn't fair.

Okay, so maybe I'm a little jealous. You would be too if you were _second_. The only way I'd manage to snag his spot is if he got something less than an A, and that was just unlikely. Maybe he took adrenaline injections too. Not as high a dose as his sister, but enough to give him the energy to run all those laps and then devastate the curve.

I'm sure all the failed grades he caused would've gotten him his ass kicked if he wasn't so damn intimidating. Freshman year the school's resident creep smacked his sister's ass, and let's just say things didn't end well for him.

Speak of the slime and he shall appear. Not devil. James isn't the source of all evil, just the gooey shit under your shoe.

"Bell-ahh." He swung his arm over my shoulder, pulling me into his chest.

"Whoa-ho-ho. Did someone fall into a tub of cologne?" I slipped out from under his arm.

"Got it just for you. You like?" he wiggled his eyebrows.

"I'll let you know when I stop choking," I coughed a bit to emphasize and also because that shit was _strong_.

"Oh come on baby. We both know you want me. Stop playing hard to get."

"Not playing! Just _really_ trying to get away!" I shouted over my shoulder as I dove into the girl's bathroom.

I resisted the urge to yell—_Sanctuary! Sanctuary!_

"Hiding from James?" she asked as she applied a little more powder to her cheeks.

I pointed my hand gun at her and made a click noise from the corner of my mouth. What the hell is that called anyway? Someone should come up with a name for it. It's almost like a wink for your mouth. A wowth? A mink? Might confuse people with the animal…

"He's such a creep," she sighed, frowning at an imaginary blemish.

"He's after anything with less than three legs."

She raised an eyebrow at me.

"I counted the peep as the third," I explained.

She laughed. It was one of those deep belly laughs. I always loved that about her. She'd throw her head back and I'd have the urge to ask her what she'd done with the puppies. The zebra printed clothes she tended to wear really weren't helping to remove the association from my mind.

Rosalie Hale. Yeah, her name kind of deserves its own sentence. She's pretty much what you'd expect Barbie to look like if she came to life. Long blonde hair, big boobs, big butt and teeny tiny waist—pretty much all the good qualities wrapped into one. She was a bit vain, but hey, most teenage girls are. Besides, her personality made up for it. Or maybe that was her awesome laugh that did that.

Hmm. I'd have to consult the counsel on this one.

Anyway, she's the perfect girl you'd expect to be standing atop the pyramid, stomping on the poor male population's hearts, and being an all around snotty bitch that treats everyone around her like shit.

Well…she was a bit of a bitch, but the rest wasn't her. I don't think she'd make a good cheerleader anyway. All that bouncing would just give her a pair of black eyes.

Finished applying her make-up for what would be the third time out of a hundred today, she linked arms with me and dragged me out of the bathroom. I would've hidden longer in case James was lurking. Of course, Rosalie didn't have to worry about him much. He'd mostly left her alone since she planted a four inch stiletto between his legs. On the plus side, at least that meant the chances of a bunch of little slime babies sliding around had become far less likely.

"Oh! Guess what?" Emmett stopped in front of us, practically bouncing.

Jesus. Did everyone start getting those adrenaline injections? And why the hell wasn't I called? I am the town junkie after all.

"What Emmett," we both said at the same time in a monotone.

Undeterred by our obvious lack of interest, he told us.

"A new shop just opened up!"

"Your brother might just be batting for the other side," Rosalie whispered in my ear. Loudly.

"Cool. I've always wanted a gay best friend," I grinned at her.

"But I won't get to be your sister," she frowned at me.

"I'll still let you be my sister even if he does turn out gay."

"Oh okay," she smiled, her worries forgotten.

"Besides, just think of the possibilities! We can have him paint our toe nails!" I used my patented super girly squeal.

It took ages to perfect that girlish scream that belonged uniquely to Rachel and her sisters.

"And braid our hair!" she squealed back.

She was a black belt in the girly scream.

"I am not gay," Emmett glared at us.

"Oh Emmy Bear, we know," she told him sweetly and we both nodded seriously at him.

I could practically see his blood rising at the name she'd used for him—the one she always uses when we're mocking him.

I think what really did it though was the wink.

He groaned and I half expected him to start tearing off his clothes as he morphed into a monster and turned green.

Luckily, Little Alice Cottontail hopped over before he could open his mouth.

"Did I just miss the Greene Scream?"

"That you did," I replied solemnly.

Her eyes watered up and I pulled her into a hug. I patted her back and said "I know" a few times.

"Oh come on! Now this is just getting ridiculous!"

And where Alice is, Jasper must follow.

"What's go'in on here?" he asked in concern, taking in Alice's watery eyes.

"Emmett might be gay."

Jasper raised an eyebrow. "And you're this depressed about it? Geez Ally, I've gotta say I'm a little hurt. I thought we had something special."

"I missed the Greene Scream," Alice hiccupped in explanation.

"Oh no." He looked like he might burst into tears too.

"You people are insane!" Emmett shouted at us before stalking off down the hall.

"Guess that's my cue," Rosalie sighed before taking off after him.

We watched them for a moment, hearing Rosalie yell "Baby, wait! We were just kidding!" before they disappeared from sight.

"You're getting better," Jasper commented after I released Alice and he began dabbing away her fake tears.

"I have Bella to thank for that," she said cheerfully. "Though, I had a bit of trouble getting the tears to fall. How do you do it?"

"I always breathe heavily when I do it."

"Do what?" a new voice asked.

I cringed.

"What?" I asked, looking around like I wasn't the one who had spoken. But in my head, it was more like this—_Danger, Will Robinson! Danger!_

Now if I only had my own robot to distract him. Or maybe just Matt LeBlanc to distract me.

"You said—_I always breathe heavily when I do it ._ When you do what?" he asked.

_Why are you avoiding answering him? Whatever he's thinking is probably a million times worse than the truth, you idiot._

Well now, mental voice. No need to be mean.

"When I'm trying to cry," I explained.

"Why would you _want_ to cry?" he asked, looking at me curiously.

Or maybe like he thought I was insane. It was hard to tell with him. Mostly his eyes just said—

_How you doin'?_

Cue Matt LeBlanc.

"It's a vital weapon of the female arsenal," I answered him before turning to Alice. "I'll catch you guys later. Wouldn't want to be late."

I hurried away, feeling a pair of confused eyes attached to my back. When I turned a corner and the pressure was gone, I breathed a sigh of relief.

Did I mention that he's also gorgeous? Yeah. I may have a crush on him. And these feelings may have been there since the moment I sat a seat away from him freshman year. He may also have no idea who I am.

Okay, so we kind of ran with the same crowd, but that didn't mean he knew me. One of us always seemed to be conveniently missing from the group, but there were the rare instances like a few moments ago when our worlds would clash.

So yeah. He really didn't know me. Stupid, intelligent, gorgeous bastard.

And okay, so maybe it's partly my fault for always taking off whenever we suddenly found ourselves in the same vicinity…but you try making small talk with the guy you can't help but obsess over and who stands in your way of becoming valedictorian.

He's also kind of my nemesis. Did I mention that? Guess it's true what they say—there's a fine line between love and hate.

…


	2. Kate Konfections

**CUPCAKE WARS CONTEST**

**Title: Gluttony  
Pen name: Miss Snazzy  
Pairing: Bella/Edward  
Rating: T  
Word Count: 1,066**

**Disclaimer: Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyers.**

…

Part II  
_Kate Konfections_

…

"So what is this new shop that's making us question my poor brother's sexuality?" I asked as I sat down at lunch.

Today's menu consisted of an apple, yogurt, and a granola bar. Oh goody. Meanwhile, you had the bunny _and_ the beast each sporting enough food to feed a family of five for a week. Emmett I get, but Alice must have daily lipo sessions to remain so thin in spite of it all.

Rosalie was on another one of her fad diets—this week it was low-carb products—and Jasper seemed to have a little bit of everything. And then there was Edward. Every single day, rain or shine, he _always_ had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Now the repetitiveness is ridiculous enough, but it's even worse because he doesn't use grape or strawberry jelly like a rational person. No. He uses _apple_.

Who the hell uses _apple_ jelly? A freaking psychopath, I tell you.

And yes, Edward and I are both here and the world isn't imploding. That is because lunch is basically our middle ground. This is the place where opposing nations can meet peacefully without the risk of bloodshed.

Okay, so maybe I'm a bit dramatic. So? Keeps things interesting, doesn't it?

"Keep it up Sis and you're going to find a snake in your panty drawer," Emmett threatened.

He knew I had a fear of snakes, but I decided to downplay that.

"Why my panty drawer, hmm? Have you been in there before? Are you a cross-dresser?" I exclaimed.

"What!" Emmett said in shock.

"I'm not sure if I'm more creeped out that you wear women's clothes or that you were snooping through your younger sister's panties," Jasper commented with a frown.

"So that's where my new bra went," Rosalie mused.

Alice just sat there giggling and trying not to choke on the massive bite of lasagna she had stuffed into her mouth.

"So what's the store?" Edward asked, disturbing the flow.

I could tell Emmett wanted to withhold the information for being mocked again, but we both knew he'd spill. He was far too excited to keep his mouth shut and took Edward's prompting to finally tell us.

"Remember that old ice cream parlor? Jordan's?"

"The one you cried about for two weeks when it closed?" I asked.

His eyes narrowed, but he kept his attention on Edward. I knew how much my jokes annoyed him, but he knew how much ignoring them bothered me. Touché.

"Well this woman bought the place and now it's a cupcake shop!"

"What's so special about that? I make cupcakes for you all the time," Alice pointed out.

"Yeah, but _these_ are genuine _Kate Konfections_!"

My eyes widened.

"Oh."

"What oh?" Alice asked me.

"Bella knows," Emmett said, staring at me seriously.

"What are Kate Konfections?" Rosalie asked.

"Do you want to tell them the tale, or should I?"

"Go ahead. But make sure you start from the beginning," Emmett instructed.

Emmett was rarely serious about anything, but when it came to Kate Konfections, he didn't kid around.

"Back when our parents first got divorced, Emmett and I used to spend the school year with Renee and the summer with Charlie," I began. "Renee was dating a lot at the time and there was this one guy she'd brought over more than once and well…we kind of hated him, so we egged his car."

Car enthusiast Edward looked like he disapproved, but everyone else seemed to have a smile.

"Well the guy caught us in the act and started yelling about how he was gonna _whoop our asses until the skin came off like the paint on his car_, so Emmett and I hightailed it out of there."

Edward seemed to be even unhappier to hear this, but the rest didn't seem to mind. So we had grown up a bit differently? It was what it was. Emmett wore a wry smile and I mirrored it back—the secret way we'd tell each other we remembered and understood.

"So we hid away in this shopping district that we knew Renee would never think to look and that's when we stumbled upon it."

"Literally," Emmett cut in. "She tripped over their doormat," he laughed and the rest joined in.

"_Anyway_, being the nine and ten year-olds that we were, we couldn't resist taking a peek in the little cupcake shop and…well…Emmett and I might've stolen some cupcakes."

A collection of gasps—mostly fake—made me roll my eyes. It would seem that Emmett shared my feelings.

"What? We were starving," Emmett said.

"We ate the cupcakes and Emmet became obsessed, so we went back the next day to get more, but the store was gone," I summed up.

"That was…an entertaining story," Alice commented.

"Yeah, Bella fudged up the ending," Emmett paused. "Get it? _Fudge_d up?" he laughed.

"You get more juvenile by the day, Emmett."

"Shut up Jasper."

"So what's so special about these cupcakes?" Rosalie asked.

Emmett's face lit up as he began to describe _his_ Kate Konfections experience.

"They're _perfect_. Like taking a bite out of heaven," Emmett said in a dreamy voice.

I could practically see the puddle of drool collecting around his tray. I wished I had a bucket to stick under his tongue like you would do with a leak in the roof.

"Wait. You said this happened when you were nine?" Edward spoke for the first time since I started the story.

"When I was nine, yeah."

"Wasn't that the year you were diagnosed with diabetes?"

I looked up at him for the first time in surprise.

"Yeah, but how…" I wanted to ask him how he knew about that, but decided against it. "I was diagnosed about two weeks after that," I said softly.

Luckily that awkward silence was ended by the lunch bell. I quickly shoveled the rest of the yogurt into my mouth and chow downed on the apple before tossing my trash away. I'd have to sneak bites of the granola bar in Banner's class, but that wasn't anything I couldn't handle.

I glanced back at the table and for the second time in the last couple minutes, I was surprised. Edward was staring right at me. I couldn't make out his expression from here, but I knew he had to be up to something. He never looked at me like that.

…


	3. One, Two, Red, Blue

**CUPCAKE WARS CONTEST**

**Title: Gluttony  
Pen name: Miss Snazzy  
Pairing: Bella/Edward  
Rating: T  
Word Count: 1,640**

**Disclaimer: Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyers.**

…

Part III

_One Cupcake  
Two Cupcake  
Red Cupcake  
Blue Cupcake_

…

Another day, another injection. Although, this time I'm less annoyed because it's Saturday and what time did I wake up? Noon. Yes, because only insane people get up any earlier than that on the weekend. I'm pointing at you, Alice.

I would question the point of her even having a bed—because clearly she doesn't sleep—if I didn't know her and Jasper spent quite a bit of time there. I walked in on them once and yeah, that sight just added another mental scar to my life.

Of course, that wasn't nearly as bad as seeing Rosalie and Emmett. _ Shudder_. And that's why I don't do girl's nights with Alice or Rosalie anymore. The boys always sneak in and then the house turns into a sex shack with me left being the fifth—and in one horrible instance, the _seventh_—wheel.

Yeah, that's right. Edward and this chick named Heidi. Thank god I didn't walk in on them, but I kind of didn't have to. That Heidi is one vocal lover.

And my heart didn't break a little when I heard Edward moan her name. Nope. Not at all.

I slid down the staircase, propelling my body into Emmett.

"Whoa. You're gonna break your neck if you keep doing stuff like that."

"Says the guy who jumped off a roof," I rolled my eyes.

"Yeah, but I'm not brittle like you," he laughed, pulling his keys out of his pocket.

"Where you off to?" I asked.

"I'm pickin up the gang and we're going to head to Kate Konfections…" he trailed off, looking sheepish. "I didn't think you'd want to come since…you know…you can't have any."

I smiled, quelling down the hurt. "It's okay Emmett."

"Are you sure? I mean, you could still come if you want."

"No thanks. What would I do? Watch you guys stuff your faces? I do enough of that at home," I joked.

Satisfied that I wasn't going to start weeping about being left behind, Emmett dashed out the door. Really, it was a testament to his willpower for him to even stay here long enough to talk to me. He's been thinking about those cupcakes for years and when he wants something, he's damn near unstoppable.

I could have a cupcake if I wanted one. It isn't like one bite would kill me, although Emmett thinks it might.

I know correlation doesn't equal cause, but I can't help but blame that damn cupcake for my diabetes. I remember getting sick that night after I had eaten mine. Maybe it was karma for stealing. I steal a cupcake and that cupcake gives me diabetes. Justice, I guess.

So maybe that's irrational, but it's human nature to want to blame someone for all the bad things that happen to you.

The weekend passed relatively quickly with Emmett making more trips to that cupcake shop than Mike Newton went through tubes of hair gel. As someone who has accidentally gotten her hand lodged in that spider web of a do, I can tell you that is quite a lot.

Aside from Emmett possibly exploding in a shower of cupcake, I really wasn't expecting school to be all that different than any other day. Boy was I wrong.

"What have you got there?" I asked Alice who was carrying a pink box and looked perkier than usual. Something I wouldn't have thought possible.

"Some of those cupcakes from Kate Konfections. They're _bubblegum_ flavored," she told me excitedly.

She lifted the lid to reveal half a dozen pink cupcakes covered in such brightly colored frosting I worried my retinas would burn out if I stared to long.

"I didn't even know you could make them bubblegum flavored."

"Neither did I!" she exclaimed and popped one into her mouth. If I wasn't already a member of her lunch audience, I might've been worried.

Alice began to moan in delight at the amount of sugar attacking her taste buds—a force that would surely kill me—so I took that as my cue to slowly inch away.

Sometimes I wonder if Alice was somehow related to Emmett because she could pack away food like no other…well…except for Emmett of course. Hell, she looks more like him than I do.

I walked passed the nurse's office, pausing mid-step as I watched the nutritionist covertly shove a cupcake in her mouth.

All the time you see Gym teachers who are about as athletic as a sofa cushion, yet they continuously criticize their students for being lazy and unfit.

But not Mrs. Clearwater.

Mrs. Clearwater is so dedicated to having a healthy lifestyle that while every other teacher is busy chugging massive amounts of coffee and eating McDonalds, she's leading a crusade to eliminate all junk food from the campus. She's the reason the juice is so bland that you'd have better luck finding flavor in the water fountain. In her short two years here, she's outlawed the vending machines and is responsible for depriving the student body of easily accessible chips and candy.

And now she's popping little blue cupcakes into her mouth like a goddamn junkie.

I wished I'd had my camera because no one was going to believe this.

I guess word about Kate Konfections got around fast—as new things often do in a small town—because from that point on, almost everywhere I looked there were those pink boxes that pretty much every bakery in the country used to hold their goods.

People were sneaking them into their mouths when the teachers' backs were turned, producing cupcakes seemingly from out of nowhere. The trash cans were so packed with empty boxes that they were overflowing.

When I took my seat at lunch, my gaze was fixed on Rosalie.

"Please tell me you've got cheese or something in there," I pointed at the box sitting in front of her.

"Nope. Cupcakes."

"But I thought you were on that low-carb diet?" I protested, refusing to believe that _Rosalie_, who once refused _Rocky Road ice cream_ because it conflicted with her diet, would just give in for a stupid cupcake.

That girl adores Rocky Road ice cream. On several occasions, she adamantly admitted that if it came down to a choice between her favorite treat and Emmett, she'd choose the ice cream every time.

So if she really quit her diet for this…then something was seriously wrong.

"I am. These are low-carb," she held one up as if I could measure the amount of carbohydrates just by looking at it.

"Low-carb my ass."

"Guess I won't be coming to you when I need to carbo-load," Edward laughed. I hadn't noticed he was there and therefore wasn't able to keep my reactions in check.

Cue stupid blush.

I rolled my eyes at both him and myself.

"_Please Jazz_," Alice whined as they approached the table. She followed a foot behind him, moving her head from side to side like she was trying to see around his body. I noticed the pink box in his hands and realized that was what she was trying to get to.

"Did you steal her cupcakes?" I asked, a little surprised.

Stealing a little girl's cupcakes was something Emmett might do, not Jasper.

"What? No! These are _my_ cupcakes. She already ate hers," Jasper said defensively.

I turned to Alice. "But I saw you this morning. You had half a dozen! You didn't really eat them all in the last couple hours, did you?"

"Don't be silly," Alice said, rolling her eyes. "I finished that box in the first hour."

"_First hour!_" I shrieked with wide eyes. "_How many boxes were there?_"

"Just the two," she mumbled distractedly. She was focused on trying to steal Jasper's cupcakes.

"Twelve cupcakes?" I asked in disbelief.

"Twenty-four," Jasper corrected, though he was focusing on keeping Alice away. "There was a dozen in each."

I realized that the reason I'd only seen six this morning was because she had already eaten half of them. Whether she had eaten them sometime yesterday or before school today, I didn't know.

"Twenty-three, actually," Alice interjected. "Fucking Mike stole one."

"So that's how he got that black eye," Rosalie mused as she tossed a wrapper into her box.

"You gave Newton a black eye for eating one of your cupcakes?" I asked, wondering if I'd stumbled into the Twilight Zone. Alice was giving black eyes and cursing. Maybe I'm on some hallucinatory drug.

Alice shrugged at the question and made another swipe at Jasper's box.

"_Jazzy_," Alice purred as she pressed up against him. He was holding the box high above her head and I guess she'd finally accepted that she needed to switch tactics.

"_Just give me one little cupcake and I promise I'll make it worth your while_."

"Is anyone else extremely creeped out?" Edward asked, shielding his eyes from his sister's display.

"I am," I answered, raising my hand like an idiot.

They were so preoccupied with Alice's little play at seduction that no one noticed Emmett inching his way behind them until he had already snatched the box from Jasper's outstretched hands.

Emmett had different colored frostings smeared all over his mouth and there were even a few specks in his eyebrows. He had this wild look in his eyes as he cradled the pink box to his chest like a baby. He looked like the cupcake version of the Cookie Monster.

"AHA!" he yelled as he ran away.

Alice and Jasper wasted no time in taking off after him, shouting at his back.

I wondered for a moment if like diabetes, mental illnesses ran in my family.

"I'm surprised he didn't steal yours," I commented.

"Oh he already tried. A kick to the groin got him to back off," Rosalie replied calmly as she sucked some frosting off her fingers.

…


	4. Forming Alliances

**CUPCAKE WARS CONTEST**

**Title: Gluttony  
Pen name: Miss Snazzy  
Pairing: Bella/Edward  
Rating: T  
Word Count: 1,293**

**Disclaimer: Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyers.**

…

Part IV

_Forming Alliances_

…

"Is it just me, or has everyone gone mad?" Edward asked as he slid into his seat next to me in Biology.

He had been starting more conversations with me in the last few days than he ever had in the past. I wonder what's making him so vocal and friendly all of a sudden…

"Hey, where are your cupcakes?"

"I don't have any cupcakes," he laughed.

"Why not?" Everyone else in school seemed to have one of those pink boxes. Why didn't he?

"I have a track meet on Friday."

"So?" If Rosalie can quit her diet for those cupcakes, then the willpower of all mankind she be put into question.

"I vowed not to eat another item of the dessert variety until after I ran. And when I'm committed to something, I tend to be immovable," he winked

I wanted to make a snide comment about his arrogance in calling himself _immovable_, but I was kind of busy picturing him as a sturdy brick house. No wolves would be blowing him down.

I hummed instead, trying to separate the words _blowing_ and _him_ in my mind. I failed and was mentally unzipping his jeans with my teeth when his voice broke through.

"Do you think it has something to do with the cupcakes?" he asked.

I was about to tell him my theories—mainly that I think there's something fishy going on at Kate Konfections—when Mr. Banner demanded the attention of the class.

"As you know…some of the teachers and I are planning a trip to Seattle in which we will visit several museums that hold relevance to the course material of several classes. Unfortunately, our budget has been…cut, so each of you must contribute twenty dollars in order to attend. I will walk around and collect that money now."

The class had grown silent toward the end of his speech and everyone seemed to pause, gauging whether or not they should really pull twenty dollars out of their bags. Once a few had handed their contributions over, the rest of us followed their lead.

Mr. Banner had already gone through a couple tables when Lauren stood up.

"I'm in student council and I saw the fieldtrip forms. We don't have to pay anything," Lauren hissed.

"Excuse me Miss Mallory, but as a member of the faculty, I believe I know a great deal more—"

"There wasn't a budget cut. You're going to use that money to buy more cupcakes from Kate Konfections!" she accused.

Several people gasped and Mr. Banner stared at her with wide eyes, clenching his hand around the bills. When some started to get up, presumably to retrieve their money, he ran out of the room. A group of students followed him.

"Well that was…"

"Insane?"

"Yeah."

With tentative steps, Edward and I left the classroom to find what could only be described as chaos. Pink boxes were scattered all over the floor and people were running around with the urgency of trying to escape a building caught on fire. Several were just jamming cupcakes down their throats, while others fought viciously to keep others from stealing their own. One girl was crying as she smashed her now empty pink box.

The most horrifying of all was the group of students crawling on the floor and licking up what looked to be cupcakes that had been smashed into the linoleum. I recognized Angela Webber among them and that made the whole thing infinitely worse.

Angela Webber is a germaphobe. And now she's licking the floor.

"Edward, I propose that we form an alliance," I said.

"To figure out what's going on?"

"Yes."

"And possibly save the day?"

"Yes."

He grinned.

"I accept."

…

"Stop your grumbling."

"I just don't see why we couldn't have taken my truck," I mumbled.

I was mumbling, not grumbling. Just because they rhyme doesn't make them the same.

The drive was relatively short because let's face it—Edward's a speed demon. I guess when you can run as fast as he can, it's hard to go slow.

There were cars stopped in an almost barricade around the shop, so Edward had to park a little farther away. He cut the ignition and quickly opened his door, but before I could open mine, he was already at my side. I took his offered hand hesitantly as I stepped out.

"Was that really necessary?" I griped, trying not to let him know how much the gesture made me want to smile and that the brief contact made the butterflies swarm.

I also kind of wanted to kick him because now I would have to add his manners to the list of amazing things about Edward Cullen. Seriously, what was with this guy? It's like he jumped right out of a teenage girl's wet dream.

"Absolutely," he grinned with that crooked smile of his and I couldn't help but blush, imaging that he had read my mind and was agreeing with my assessment of him.

We walked toward the shop in companionable silence and I tried not to think anything of it when his hand accidentally brushed mine from time to time. It was probably me anyway. I'm a tilter. Sometimes when I'm walking, I randomly tilt one way. Guess my equilibrium is shot or something. It would explain my ineptness at running and really athletics in general… Though that really conflicts with my ability to walk along edges and maintain my balance.

Well that's me, I suppose. Bella Swan—the tilting and tightrope-walking contradiction.

When we made it to the barricade of cars, I wished I had thought to bring a bat or something. Several of the cars' windows had been bashed in and there were more pink boxes strewn about. Most of them were trampled, as if a mob at been through here.

Edward rolled over the hood of a car and landed on his feet with a grin. I rolled over the hood of the car and landed on my ass.

"Bella are you okay?" he asked, helping me up. I should've swatted his hand away, but I was yearning for the contact. I'm glad he couldn't read my mind because that sounded freaky even in my own head.

"Nothing hurt but my pride," I sighed in annoyance. "Also, my ass kind of hurts."

"Want me to kiss it better?"

I stared at him for a moment, wondering if he was serious. I shoved him when he started laughing.

"Jerk."

I stomped toward the store's entrance, trying to look angry while stepping around shards of glass in a kind of hopping movement that I'm fairly certain made me look like an injured rabbit, and thereby negating the effort. I could hear the glass crunch under his steps as he followed me—he was wearing boots that were thick enough to protect his feet.

"Hey, come on. I was just kidding."

"Yeah, whatever. It's easy to laugh when you're always the one coming out on top." I glared at my hands, just noticing that I had scraped them when I fell. Great.

"What?"

"Nothing," I muttered.

"No Bella." He grabbed my arm and spun me around. "What did you mean by that?" he asked and I noticed there was a hard edge to his voice.

"Exactly what I said," I snapped, matching his tone. "It's easy to make fun of others when you're Mr. Perfect."

"You think I'm perfect?" he asked in disbelief.

"I know it," I glared, hating that he made me say it.

"Maybe I should be flattered you see me that way, but all I can think is how stupid that is."

"So I'm stupid now? Well fuck you," I spat, wrenching my arm free of his hand.

…


	5. Infected

**CUPCAKE WARS CONTEST**

**Title: Gluttony  
Pen name: Miss Snazzy  
Pairing: Bella/Edward  
Rating: T  
Word Count: 1,139**

**Disclaimer: Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyers.**

…

Part V

_Infected_

…

I entered the shop alone, leaving Edward to do whatever. I didn't care.

The door was almost completely off its hinges, but I had managed to squeeze myself through somewhat unscathed. Something sharp had sliced its way through my jacket and into my arm, but it didn't hurt too badly.

Turning in a slow circle, I took in what should've been a prosperous cupcake shop, but looked more like a room from a dilapidated house. There were overturned chairs and tables that had been mostly broken and all kinds of clutter littering the floor. Multicolored frosting was smeared across the walls and a deep reddish brown blob that might've been blood was caked on some spots.

It was almost as if someone had slammed another person's head into the wall repeatedly.

Apart from the frosting on the walls, the shop seemed to have been cleared out of all baked goods. They must have trashed the place in their search for more. If they had to break in though, that must have meant the place was closed. The store had only been open for a couple days though, so why would it be closed already and especially with there was clearly a high demand for the product?

None of this made sense, but I was determined to find out. I hadn't seen any of my friends since lunch, but I had a feeling they were acting just about as crazy as everyone else. Since Edward and I seem to be the only two that are relatively sane, there must be something wrong with the cupcakes.

The shop was fairly small, but there were a few doors. The first two led to a bathroom and a pantry, but the last opened to a hallway. Listening for any noises coming from within, I quietly padded through the hallway and into a dimly lit room that looked to be an office of some sort.

The room was kind of messy, but not enough to suggest the mob had been in here. There was grime on the walls and everything looked tattered and gloomy, as if this room had been abandoned years ago. Newspaper clippings were tacked to the walls, each featuring stories of seemingly random outbreaks of violence in small towns.

I sifted through a stack of paperwork on a desk, finding the oddest of things: a list of students attending Forks High, a scratch of paper with "diabetic blood" scribbled on it, and an envelope with a little brass key inside.

I tried the key on some of the desk drawers and eventually came across one that it did open. Inside the drawer was a small white box with a note attached.

_Bella,_

_This one's on me._

_-Kate_

I stared at the note in shock. How had my name gotten here? How did Kate of Kate Konfections even know me? How did she know I would find this? With the list of students enrolled at _my _high school and the note with _my_ name written on it, there was no doubt I was meant to find all of this.

I opened the little white box and found a single cupcake inside. It looked like it was red velvet cake and the frosting was white, most likely vanilla. After looking around a bit more, I realized I wasn't going to find anything else. I grabbed my box with the cupcake I wouldn't eat, and started to head back to the main part of the shop. That's when I noticed it.

The mark was small and would have gone unnoticed if I hadn't glanced back at the newspaper clippings one last time. I pulled a couple tacks out, letting the pages drift to the floor, revealing more red letters with every discarded sheet. Eventually I grew impatient and just started tearing them off.

All over the wall, in different sizes and varying in boldness, was the same word.

Gluttony.

I decided to leave then, more than a little disturbed at what almost looked like angry red scratch marks. When I made it back to the main room, I peeked out the window to see if Edward was still there, but couldn't find him. He must have left. I would have to walk several miles to get home and once again I berated myself for not driving my truck. Hunching down, I slid through the opening in the door and almost had a heart attack when Edward practically appeared in front of me.

"Holy shit! You scared me," I breathed, pressing my free palm to my chest.

Edward, who had apparently been pacing, stopped when he noticed me.

"What the hell took you so long?" he barked at me.

I stood there for a moment in shock at his hostility. During my search, I had calmed down, but I guess he hadn't.

"I was busy doing something useful. Unlike _some people_."

He glared at me and my hands involuntarily clenched, crushing the box a bit.

"What is that?" he demanded.

"A cupcake."

His eyes flashed and he took a step forward.

"Give it to me."

I raised an eyebrow. "Are you kidding me?"

"Give. It. To. _Me_," he practically growled, taking another step forward.

That's when I really noticed his eyes. They held that same wild and almost animalist glint that the rest of them had. Whatever had happened while I was in there, one thing was for certain. Edward had been infected.

"Edward, you have to fight this," I pleaded, taking a few steps back.

"I'll fight you if I have to," he smirked, moving closer.

Images of heads being slammed against walls flitted through my mind, making my body tense.

Seeing my fear, he decided to goad me. "Be a good little girl and just hand it over."

The idea was stupid. He was the star of the track team after all and there was no way I'd be able to get very far, but something about the way he called me _little girl_ just made the need to fight back even more strong.

So despite how idiotic the idea might've been, I ran.

I took off toward the woods, feeling my heart pound and my blood pulse with adrenaline. He was gaining on me and there was no doubt in my mind that he'd eventually catch me, but I was determined to keep going until the very end.

I could hear his heavy breaths, almost like they were being pressed against my neck. Needing some way to slow him down, I slipped the cupcake out and threw the box at him. He caught it and stopped for a moment, giving me just enough time to cut through the first line of trees before he discovered it was empty.

I was sure you'd be able to hear his roar of rage for miles.

…

**Author's Note: One chapter left. Thank you all for reading and reviewing. =)**


	6. The Plan

**CUPCAKE WARS CONTEST**

**Title: Gluttony  
Pen name: Miss Snazzy  
Pairing: Bella/Edward  
Rating: T  
Word Count: 1,551**

**Disclaimer: Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyers.**

…

Part VI

_The Plan_

…

I leaned against a thick trunk, trying to catch my breath. I hadn't heard any sign of Edward for a while, but I wasn't naïve enough to think he had just given up. When they got a taste of those cupcakes, they would stop at nothing to get their next fix.

I thought about the first time Emmett and I had them. Emmett had been near inconsolable when we discovered an empty space where the shop should've been, but he hadn't acted like a maniac. For years I've wanted to blame that cupcake for my diabetes, but I never truly believed that one little treat had caused it.

Now…I wasn't so sure.

Maybe whatever was in those cupcakes that's been causing people to lose their shit, really did trigger my diabetes. Maybe Emmett had to eat a lot of them before he started acting all nutty, explaining why nothing too strange had happened the first time he had one. After all, he was always a big boy.

Kate Konfections—whatever they are, whoever she is—she _knew_ I would find that room and maybe…she had left me the answer to my problems.

I dug in my pocket for the object whose weight I always felt, a constant reminder of my disease. I had no idea if this would work. Actually, I had just about no faith in this plan whatsoever.

Once everything was in place, I left the safety of my tree trunk, suppressing the urge to give it a hug. Keeping my hands behind my back and thanking my lucky stars that it was always so cold here, I stepped through a break in the closely packed trees.

I stood in the clearing, waiting for Edward to come to me.

…

He stalked into the field looking half crazed with leaves stuck in his hair and dirt all over his clothes, as if he had torn the forest apart in his search for me.

"Where is it?" he demanded.

"It's gone," I replied calmly.

His eyes flashed.

"What do you mean _it's gone_?" he seethed, clenching his fists.

It is times like these that I wish I was a black belt.

"I ate it."

"You ate it?" he laughed, but I could see the fear and desperation there. "You're diabetic!"

"So I'll die," I shrugged. "Still doesn't change the fact that I ate it."

"I don't believe you." His gaze shifted pointedly to my hidden hands.

With exaggerated slowness, I brought them in front of me.

"This is all that's left," I said, raising my frosting covered finger in the air.

His eyes darted from hand to hand, as if he expected the cupcake to appear, before he fixed his gaze on my finger.

"You can have it if you want. I'm stuffed," I smiled and held my finger out to him.

He charged at me and the movement was so sudden, I didn't have time to brace myself as he tackled me to the ground. I felt the wind knock out of me from the force and I took in a quick gasping breath as his mouth latched onto my finger.

I couldn't move because of his weight on top of me and with our bodies aligned in all the right places, I could feel the heat rise up in my cheeks. I bit my lip as I watched him suck hard on my finger, his tongue swirling around to collect all traces of flavor and making my thighs clench. I let out a surprised squeak when he bit down.

After another moment of his insistent mouth and my mind actively trying to drown me with dirty fantasies, he abruptly stopped.

He released my finger and rolled onto his back beside me. I watched in fear as he began to writhe and moan in pain.

"Edward?"

He didn't respond and I stared helplessly, not knowing what to do. Several minutes passed by as I pretty much just held his hand and tugged on my hair, when he just stopped moving.

"Oh crap. I've killed him," I panicked with wide eyes. "Oh crap."

I tried to check his pulse, but I couldn't find it. Hell, I could rarely find mine when we were told to do it in Gym. I usually just made up numbers.

"Oh crap! What do I do?" I asked no one in particular. Edward couldn't hear me and I had absolutely no clue.

I stared at his lips and suddenly came up with another stupid idea. Well…it worked in the movies, didn't it?

"With my luck, this'll probably just make it worse," I muttered as I leaned over his body and pressed my lips against his.

He started coughing—practically in my mouth—and as I backed away, I couldn't help but be a little offended that he had reacted to our first kiss like that.

_She needs to sort out her priorities_, my mental Ron chimed.

"Edward?"

"What happened?" he rasped between coughs.

"Well apparently you ate a cupcake and went all Croatoan on me, so I…cured you."

"Did you kiss me?" he asked, squinting at me.

"What?" I squeaked. "No! Of course not," I lied.

"You kissed me," he smirked with a look that lost some of its power when he started hacking coughs again.

"Don't flatter yourself." I rolled my eyes. "You were dying and I panicked."

"So you kissed me?"

"_I panicked!_"

"Bella?"

"Yeah?"

"You should panic more often."

…

"So what do you think it was?" Rosalie asked as I sat down at our usual lunch table.

"Not sure," I shrugged, unwilling to share my real theories.

Somehow saying "I think it was Gluttony" sounded a little too crazy, even for me.

"I just can't believe those colorful little cupcakes made us act like that," Alice sighed.

Although the _official_ cause of yesterday's insanity was said to be a violent outbreak of some variation of the flu, we knew what had really happened. Besides, apart from Jessica Stanley, who was really dumb enough to buy that load of crap?

The sound of the seat next to me being pulled out brought me back to the present. I was more than a little surprised to see Edward now sitting beside me with a smile. He _never_ switched spots. Before I could comment on his sudden appearance, Emmett plopped down rather dramatically.

"I hate having the flu," Emmett grumbled.

We tried to suppress our laughter, but failed.

"Where'd you and Edward disappear to yesterday?" Rosalie asked me, shifting the spotlight off Emmett. She always had a soft spot for him when he was moping.

"Oh we didn't—"

"_We_ went to go check out Kate Konfections," Edward interrupted.

I glared at him, not missing the emphasis on "_we_". I also mentally glared at myself, irritated at how happy that little word made me.

"Oh. What'd you find out?"

"I can't really remember…" Edward replied, furrowing his brows. "But Bella said I ate a cupcake and got infected. Then she cured me."

"There was a cure?" Rosalie shrieked at me. "Why didn't you come cure me before I obliterated my diet with about a hundred cupcakes?"

"What was the cure?" Alice asked curiously.

"Um…" I trailed off, noticing how focused Edward now was on me.

He hadn't remembered anything after I went inside the shop and I had decided to leave a few details out…

I cleared my throat. "Diabetic blood," I mumbled as quietly as possible.

I didn't dare look at Edward.

"Diabetic…" Alice trailed off, her eyes widening.

"You fed him your blood?" Rosalie asked incredulously.

"Ewww," Alice wrinkled her nose.

"How'd you manage that?" Jasper asked, not seeming to mind the idea.

Then again, we both knew you could swallow a pint of blood before you got sick.

"I used this." I pulled out my blood sugar tester. "And poked a few holes." I held up my bandaged finger. "Then I mixed it into the frosting of one of the cupcakes."

Okay, so I had changed the story a little, but no one really needed to know how I had gotten him to eat my blood except Edward, and I _really_ didn't even want him knowing.

"Damn."

"So what about you guys?" I asked, quickly changing the subject. "The last time I saw any of you, Emmett was running around like a drugged up cross between the Hamburglar and the Cookie Monster."

"Hey!" Emmett complained at the jab.

"Emmett stole a cupcake from a little girl," Rosalie supplied helpfully.

"Emmett, you actually stole a cupcake from a little girl?" I asked, appalled.

Though if I were being honest, that really did seem like something he would do.

"She started it!" Emmett defended himself.

"Actually, it was more like Emmett yelled at her to give him her cupcake, so she kicked him in the shins," Jasper laughed. "That's when he tackled her."

"Holy crap, Emmett! Did you squash her?" I asked, horrified at his behavior.

"No, but she scratched the hell out of my face," Emmett whined and we all laughed.

…

I had managed to successfully avoid Edward after lunch, but since we had Biology together, I knew my luck would run out.

"Hey, Bella?"

"Yeah?"

"I remember what happened."

"You mean…" I held up my bandaged finger.

"Yes."

"Oh."

Crap.

…

The End.

**Author's Note: So there we are. Phew. There might be a sequel once the contest is over. Keep this story on alert and I'll post an A/N chapter to let you know when the first chapter is posted. I want to thank everyone who has taken the time to read and review this. =)**


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